Henry N. Cobb

The American Academy of Arts and Letters has completed construction of a Glass Link connecting its exhibition galleries in its Administration Building to those in the former headquarters of the American Numismatic Society, which the Academy purchased in 2005. The buildings are adjacent to one another on West 155 Street and are part of the Audubon Terrace Historic District.

The Glass Link, designed by James Vincent Czajka, in consultation with Henry N. Cobb and Michael Flynn of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, is 16' high and spans a 12' side-terrace between the exterior walls of the Academy's Administration Building and the former Numismatic Society. The walls, floor, and roof, including three support trusses, are constructed entirely of low-iron laminated glass.

The proportions and shape of the Link reflect architectural elements of the existing buildings, and the choice of low-iron laminated glass increases the Link's transparency, revealing details of a previously overlooked section of the Terrace.

The architects chose to reuse materials from the original site, lessening waste and preserving existing signs of age and weather. The granite steps that formerly led up to the side-terrace were upended to form a retaining wall. A balustrade covering a decorative archway that was cut through to create the opening for the Link was relocated further down the Administration Building's sidewall. Graffiti and weather stains were left untouched.

The placement of the Link extends circulation pathways already present in each building and creates a new view corridor that extends from the Administration building's main staircase, through the Glass Link, and into the galleries of the new building.

In addition to the Link, the project included significant renovations to the galleries located in the new building.

History of Site

Development of Audubon Terrace as a cultural complex started in 1904 when construction began on the Hispanic Society of America, which opened its doors to the public in 1908. It was followed by the American Numismatic Society (1908), the American Geographical Society (1911), the Church of the Intercession (1912), the American Indian Museum (1916), and, finally, the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1923). Of the original tenants, the Hispanic Society, the Church of the Intercession, and the Academy remain.

The Academy moved to Audubon Terrace in 1923 upon completion of its Administration Building, which was designed by William Mitchell Kendall from the firm McKim, Mead & White, and houses the Academy's offices, members' room, portrait gallery, library, and exhibition galleries, including the South Gallery. In 1930 a second building, designed by Cass Gilbert, was completed. It houses a 730-seat auditorium and the North Gallery, a large sky-lit exhibition space.

In 2005 the Academy nearly doubled its space by purchasing the neighboring building on Audubon Terrace that had belonged to the American Numismatic Society, and which was actually two structures that had been integrated into one in 1930. Previously, the Numismatic Society had occupied a smaller structure that dated from 1908 and was the work of Charles Pratt Huntington, the designer of the Hispanic Society, Geographical Society, and American Indian Museum. In 1930 the Numismatic Society reconfigured its exterior facade and entrance when it completed construction of a west wing, which was designed by H. Brooks Price. It is to the sidewall of the west wing that the new Glass Link connects.

Architect's Statement

The exact location and detailing of the Glass Link were strongly influenced by contextual considerations. The Link was sited to create a view corridor from one building to the other. The glass beams take their shape, slope, and vertical dimension from the adjacent pediment and architrave detail at the rear of the Academy building. The main glass walls themselves are "golden rectangles" reflecting the "divine proportion" so important to many of the arts celebrated by the Academy: painting, sculpture, music, and architecture.

James Vincent Czajka

Credits